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Wednesday, August 20, 2014

4 Reasons Why Content is More Important than Platform

As the number of digital platforms has
increased, digital news consumption has risen sharply.

In
fact, the Pew Research 2012 News Media Consumption Survey found that digital
news was the only news category that grew in 2012. In 2012, approximately 39%
of survey respondents said they got news online or on a mobile device the
previous day, an increase from 34% in 2010. Additionally, the percentage of
people who got news from one or more digital platforms “on an average day” has
risen to 50%, which is only slightly less than the audience for all forms of
television news, and which is higher than consumption of newspapers (29%) and
radio (33%).

However,
while making content ready for multiple platforms is important, the content
itself has to do most of the “heavy lifting” required to make a digital
publication succeed. Here are 4 reasons why content is more important than
platform in the digital publishing age.

1. Content Consumers Care More About Content
than Platform

A
2011 survey by ACMA, Australia’s telecom and media regulator, found that for
Australians, content is more important than media delivery platform. Consumers
have similar expectations whether content is accessed through traditional media
like print and television, or through digital media. Participants in this study
were enthusiastic about the flexibility the online world brings to news and
current events, whether the news is hyper-local, worldwide, or in between.
However, many people believe that accuracy can suffer due to a need for
immediacy. So while having a variety of platforms to choose from can be nice,
content consumers are aware that the platforms are only tools to serve up
content, and it’s the content that counts.

2. Media Companies That Focus on Content
Succeed

Afar
Media is an independent publisher of the upscale travel and lifestyle magazine
Afar. Co-founder and chief product officer Joseph Diaz spoke with Media Next
about balancing digital growth and utilizing different platforms. A central
focus on content is integral to Afar Media’s success. “We start with what we do
well—creating really good content, and then think about how to package that
content in ways that make it easy for our audience—and like-minded audiences—to
access it,” says Diaz. Focusing on platform, he says, is short-sighted: “Anyone
can buy traffic … Our strategy is to ensure that each platform can achieve its
goals independently of the others, but also works interdependently with the
other platforms to increase efficiency.” Results for Afar has included
lucrative partnerships with companies like hotel chain Westin.

3. Great Look and Feel Are No Longer
Considered “Extras”

The
barrier to entry for digital platforms is low. Creating a website and also
having it optimized for mobile is no longer the challenge it was just a few
years ago. People have used enough apps and visited enough mobile sites to
expect a good visual experience regardless of the quality of content. While
this does set the bar high for digital media companies (because people
generally won’t bother pinching and zooming even great content), it also shows
that the way publishers set themselves apart from the competition is with
terrific content. High quality content targeted to an audience, from a publisher
that has established good credibility with content consumers is
capital-intensive, but it’s what readers expect from their content consumption.

Platforms
will continue to evolve, and while this may be distressing for publishers who
wonder when they’ll be able catch their breath while chasing every new
platform, it is good news for those who concentrate on content quality. Most
readers still understand that publishers can’t address every new platform
immediately. Pamela Maffei McCarthy, deputy digital editor for The New Yorker,
told Pew Research, “We want to be where our readers want to be as new platforms
reach critical mass, but you can’t do them all at once.” And it only makes
sense that publishers should add platforms when they have the high quality
content to make the effort worthwhile for readers (and ultimately publisher
revenues).

Putting
your great content on new platforms should be a process that’s integrated with
your revenue development strategy. In other words, you should make sure your
subscription options, advertising, and job boards can accompany your content to
the platforms on which you make it available. RealMatch offers recruitment
advertising solutions to digital publishers and media companies that don’t hold
publishers back as they pursue new platforms for their content.